The Madras High Court has directed the police to recover the jewellery belonging to Tiruppur woman Ritanya, who died by suicide allegedly unable to bear dowry harassment, from the accused in the case. However, the court refused to order a change of the investigating officer.
Ritanya, a newly married woman from Avinashi in Tiruppur district, died by suicide after consuming poison in June 2025, allegedly due to dowry harassment. The Avinashi Deputy Superintendent of Police, who investigated the case, has filed a chargesheet.
Ritanya’s father, Annadurai Ramasamy, subsequently filed a petition seeking the appointment of a police officer of Superintendent of Police rank as the new investigating officer, alleging that the case had not been properly investigated.
In his petition, he alleged that the accused had political influence and that the investigating officer had failed to conduct a proper investigation. He also alleged that the police had acted in a negligent manner without examining electronic evidence, including CCTV footage with audio recordings and mobile phones.
He further alleged that the jewellery and car given as dowry had not been seized in accordance with law and that the investigating officer had pressured him to receive them through means that were not legally valid. The petitioner also contended that the chargesheet had been filed without examining witnesses on his side and without conducting a comprehensive investigation.
He sought the appointment of an officer of SP rank as the new investigating officer, a fresh investigation and the filing of an additional chargesheet.
A separate petition was filed challenging the order of the Avinashi court rejecting his plea seeking the recovery of 100 sovereigns of gold jewellery given as dowry and a Volvo car valued at ₹63 lakh from the accused.
Hearing both petitions, Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan observed that Ritanya had clearly stated in an audio recording sent before her death where the jewellery was kept, yet the jewellery had not been recovered.
The judge therefore directed the police to recover the jewellery from the accused and hand it over to Ritanya’s father thereafter.
The judge, however, rejected the plea seeking a change of the investigating officer.
